Base-ball apparatus.



A. MCMILLAN.'

BASE BALL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1914. y 1 1 1 4,01 2. Patented oct. 20, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1:

Patented 0012.2(),1914l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. MOMILLAN y BASE BALL APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN 3, 1914 il@ lll' ALEXANDRE. Mahnungen, lor cantan, W'Asrrineron.

BASE-BALL APPMATUS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent. l

Patented (het. 20, 1.9114,

Application filed January 3, 1914. Serial No. 810,195.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that L' ALEXANDER MGMIL- LAN, a citizen. of the United States, and a resident of Chelan, in the county of Chelan and State of Vifashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Base- Ball Apparatus, of which the following 'is'a full, clear;` and exact specification. v

This invention relates to game apparatus and particularly to apparatus for mechanically pitching a ball and returning itto the batter, as in batting practice or as a sort of amusement.

Une of the principal objects of this invei1- tion is to provide means for regulating or varying the speed atwhich the ball is pitched l 'y him completely by surprise.

by the mechanical `pitchiiig device, said means being operated from a position nearwhere the batter stands.

Another object is to 'combine the device for resetting the discharging device with the means for varyingathe speed at which the ball is discharged by said device, thus reduc` ing the number of parts' of the mechanismy and making it possible for the device to be set for a diii'erent speed by the single operation of vresetting the device for pitching the' neat ball.

speed without requiring any additional op-v eration to that of resetting after each discharge for the next. rlhis feature of the device will be found very valuable inbatting practice for familiarizing the players' with sudden changes of pace, and Will also serve as a source of considerable fun where thef apparatus is placed in amusement parks, inasmuch as the change in speed can be eiiected in resetting the discharging mechanism without the knowledge ofthe' batter who is unifamiliar with the apparatus, and such change in speed will, therefore, take A further Objectis to facilitate the returny of the ball after each discharge and to controll the times of the discharges so that they e can take place either when the batterI Wishes, and is ready for them or, iii desired, when he isnct expecting them, as when the apparatus,

is used for amusement purposes.'

@theiobjects will become apparent as the description proceeds. A

The'invcntion' will be iirst hereinafter described in connection with lthe accompany ing drawings, which constitutea 'part of this 'specicaticn, and then moreispecilically de Thus each successive-ball dis,` `charged or pitched may be at a different' fined in the claims at the end of, the description.

ln ,the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used throughl' out the several views to designate correspcndi nig parts: Figure l is tion of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, Fig. 2 iis a broken top plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a detailed front elevation of the ball returning device,

a broken side elevaspartly in section, Fig. l is a side elevation of the discharging device on an enlarged scale, together witli,the lower end .ofthe returning device, the resetting and speed-varying mechanisin also being shown, Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view of the end of the discharging arm .which carries theadjustable lingers, Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed view, partly in section, ofdzhe locking lever which holds the discharging arm in set position and also serves as a trigger or trip for releasing saidY arm when the ball falls onto the same, and Fig. 7 is a partial section of a modied construction of theI apparatus having a vertical screen or ballarresting structure instead of the inclined or sloping 'screen illustrated in` Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings, A., A designate the sides of a screened in inclosure arranged. in front oi" the plate B and extending a suitable distance longitudinally and vertically. These" sides preferably diverge away from the plate, and are made of Woven wire or other suitable material.` Across the wider end of the inclosure, which is also farthest from the plate B, there is placed an inclined ball-1 arresting screen C at the lower edge ofA which is formed a gutter or trough l) inclined to and preferably extending through one side A of the inclosure.v Acover E401 woven wire or other suitable material is ar.

rangbd preferably over .the entire inclosure, as illustrated in Fig. 1. r

ln 'front of the inclined screen-C and about midway between the sides A, A of vthe in closure, the discharging or pitching mech-T 1 :rmeln is mounted on a suitable frame F.

best illustrated in Figs. 4r, 5 and 6, said discharging mechanism comprises a pivoted lever or arm G pivoted at g to the frame l? so as to swing in: a vertical plane deter-1 mined by the middle of the plate B. 0n the upper end of the arm G1 there is an adinstable extension H corresponding tothe llo fingers of a pitchers arm.T1 Said extension is preferably made in the form, of a loophaving two parallel portions li joined at their outer ends by across piece 7L as illustrated in .llig A. bolt ft2 passes through the parallel portions ,t and the end of the arm. GA serres to connect them together, and a Inut fif on the. end of said bolt may be readily' adjusted to hold the extension at any desired angle vwith ,respect to the arm for .regulating the trajectory of the ball.

rEhe arm G is normally held in the position. shown in Fig. 4 by a trigger or locking lever l pivoted at 7c to a part of the frame F and. having a roller bearing 7;', Fig. 6, to engage a. hoolr g on said arm G and to :facilitate the release of said arm at the proper time, The lever K. is further provided with a trip 7a2 projecting up through the loop of the .adjustable extension H. A bracket la projects from the end ot the arm G substantially at right angles to the extension H for guidingthe ball M onto said extension and. against the trip. A heavy operating Spring il is attached to the opposite end of `the arni (l, while a lighter resetting spring 0 attached to said arm on the saine side of its pivot 'with the adjustable extension The spring 0 is connected to the frame F.. The spring N is connected to the upper end of a bell-crank lever P which is pivoted at p to the 'traine l? and attached at its lower end to a rod R extended to a point near the plate B where it is in turn connected to the lower end oi' a lever S having a hand actuated.

pawl c adapted to interlock with a segmental rack S. l'Vhen the arin G is released in the manner to be presently described, the spring N will throw the' upper end of said arm forward against the tension of the light spring O. ln order to reset the arm, the lever S is turned to the right, Fig. ll, therej by relieving the tension ot' the spring N and permitting the spring O to draw the upper end of the arm back until. it is locked by the gravity trigger K. After this has been accoinj'qilished, the lever f5, is turned to the left,.l `ig. l, until the desiredtension has been placed. upon the spring N. lt will be readily .seen that by varying the tension of said spring in this way, the speed ot the ball discharged or propelled by said arm G, xwhen vnett released, may be regulated. It will also bc noted that this regulation or variation ot the tension of the spring N is accomplished as a part of the resetting operation, so that, iit' desired a change in tension may be effected Without knowledge of the batter, it he is unfamiliar with the apparatus.

ln operation, when. a l'lall is bit by the batter and strikes the screen it will roll down into the gutter or trough l) and by reason of the inclination of 'said trough, will lind its way to onoI side of the inolosure, sce Fig. 25. The ball will then b'e picked up by an attendant and placed in a hopper T, Fig. 3 arranged new i the "over l] of the inclosure, from Whenw it findf. its way into an in clined pipe la extending to a point nearly over the arni (i. At that point the pipe branches downwardly, at at u said branch terminating in a short inclined chute a which is grooved to guide the ball as it emerges from an opening u2 int-hc lower end oit' the branch pipe u. The lower end ot the chute u is positioned to deliver the ball directly upon the trip 7.a in the crotch between the adjustable extension H and the| guide bracket L. The weight or force 0l the ball striking the trip, causes the roller li' to slip od" of thc hook g, thus releasing the arm Gr which will then he swung forward by the spring ll as already describci'l. In order to have a number ot' balls always in readiness 'for use, the pipe U may hc fitted with a check lever V, Fig. 3, normally retained in the position illustrated by a` spring lvl". rhis check lever normally prevents the balls from passing through. tho pipo U to the branch pipe u, so that said pipe U may be utilized as a magazine, as illustrated. Theun ball is to be pitched by the apparatus, the lever V is actuated by means of a. flexible or other connection X extending into convenient reach of an attendant. Owing to the fork v at the upper end of the lever V, only one ball will be released. at a time, but by reason of the magazine, said balls may be released in rapid succession, it desired.

In Fifi' 3. 7, have illustrated a modified .feriti of screen C to be arranged across thc wider enrl'of the inclosure in place of the inclined screen C. In this instance the screen is vertical instead of inclined, there being only av comparatively short curved portion c at the bottom leading to the gutter or trough D which is similar to the trough l).

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot the United States is:

l. A mechanical baseball pitcher comprising means for discharging the ball., a spring for actuating said discharging means, a resetting spring ,adapted to come into play when the tension of 'the discharging spring is relieved, and Ineans for relieving the tension or' said discharging spring in order to permit the resetting spring to do its work and to subsequently renew the tension of said discharging` spring to varying degrees.

2. A mechanical baseball pitcher minprising means for (.lischarging the ball, a spring for actuating said discharging moans, al resetting spring adapted to come into play when the tension of the discharging spring is relieved, a. lever arranged ai'ljacont the batters position and operatively connected tosaid discharging spring for relieving the tension thereof in order to permit the resetaoi ting spring to dov its vwork and to subsequently renew the tension of. said discharging spring, and .means for retaining the' lever at different positions to vary as Well as renew the tension ,of said discharging spring.

3. In a mechanical baseball pitcher, theV combination with a pivoted pitching arm, of an adjustable extension on the end of said arm for regulatingthe trajectory of the ball, said extens'on comprising two lateral portions embracing the end of the arm,

and a cross piece bent outof the plane of said lat-eral portions, a bolt passed through the end of the arm and the embracing portions of theextension, and a nut on said bolt for clampingc said extension at various angles with respect to the arm.

il. In a mechanical baseball pitcher, the combination with a pivoted pitching arm having a hook on its end, of a tri 'having a roller adapted to engage said hoog for hold ing the arm in set position.

5. The combination with a mechanical baseball pitcher, of a magazine adapted to hold a plurality of balls, means to guide the balls from the magazine to the pitcher, a forked check lever ior releasing one ball at a time from the magazine, resilient means for normally holding said check lever in holding position, and means for operating said check lever from a distance.

6. The combination with a mechanical baseball pitcher, of ymeans to guide a ball to said pitcher, said means including a vertical tube, and an inclined chute at the lower end of said tube adapted tc receive* the ball at the bottom of said tube and deliver it onto the pitcher, said tube having an opening for the passage of the ball onto the chute, which opening is only slightly larger than the ball,

whereby said ball is compelled to roll smoothly down said chute.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specification in the presence of two attesting Witnesses.

- ALEXANDER MCMILLAN.

Witnesses:

` AUGUSTA C. MCMILLAN, Cans. .McMiLLAN 

